Comments | zestyping: The new Facebook API exposes the events that some users attend to anyone on the Internet.

zestyping

The new Facebook API exposes the events that some users attend to anyone on the Internet.

Apr 26, 2010 03:24

To protect your privacy, mark your events "Not Attending".
Update (06:00 PDT): So far, some people have reported that their events are exposed, and some have reported that they aren't. I don't have an explanation. I've sent a note to Facebook asking them not to expose events this way.

Update (13:00 PDT): theharmonyguy commented that event lists were already ( Read more... )

Comments 81

fanlain April 26 2010, 13:12:13 UTC

What bothers me a lot about this is a basic safety issue as well - some % of people using Facebook are possibly living domestic violence or other issues where they would not want this kind of information public, for their own safety. And now it's like having someone who could harm you know where you'll be when. It's not even just a privacy issue but also a safety issue.

anonymous April 26 2010, 13:19:02 UTC

my events do not show (thanks to Lisa K for pointing me to your site!) but my picture seems to be public now for searches? I cannot seem to turn that off anymore. It does share all the pages i have joined that are open content though.

Instant Personalization with outside developer apps anonymous April 26 2010, 14:07:38 UTC

See also facebook.com/help/?faq=17105.
The new Instant Personalization, even if you've opted out, will still use your data if friends use the applications MicrosoftDocs, Pandora, and Yelp. Use the above link to find links to those apps, and block them.

Re: Instant Personalization with outside developer apps zestyping April 26 2010, 16:53:57 UTC

Already did that (see the settings screenshot), and it doesn't seem to have any effect on this issue, alas.

theharmonyguy April 26 2010, 14:45:07 UTC

This problem actually predates the new API: http://theharmonyguy.com/2009/12/19/facebook-knows-what-you-did-last-summer/

zestyping April 26 2010, 17:01:42 UTC

Interesting! Thanks for the pointer. So, event lists have been exposed for a while, then, though it looks like there are some slight differences between the old API and the new API. The new API doesn't show "Closed" events, but the publication of events also can't be turned off in the Application Settings for Events.

I can't find the API Test Console; is it gone?

theharmonyguy April 26 2010, 18:20:28 UTC

You're right that the application setting has no effect now, which is rather disturbing - thanks for noting that!

The API Test Console seems to have disappeared since the f8 announcements last week...

secretsoflife April 26 2010, 14:51:04 UTC

looks like mine are hidden. poking around to see what i have set to private to make it so. it's sort of tragically ironic that the settings are so obscure that zuck himself can't get them right :/

secretsoflife April 26 2010, 14:53:06 UTC

oddly, i had it set to "everyone" but still couldn't see anything. argh facebook.